Awakening of a Warrior Princess
by FantasyChick
Summary: Cordelia awakens from her coma to find her world flipped upside down again and a mystery on her hands. SORRY ALL MY FICS ARE STOPPED. IF ANYONE WISHES TO TAKE OVER ANY THEM LET ME KNOW I WOULD BE HAPPY TO LET THEM.
1. A surprise awakening!

Title: **The Awakening of a Warrior Princess**

Author: FantasyChick

Summary: To any who has started reading my Lady Firebird fanfic, this is non-Buffy alternative. For any who haven't, this is about Cordelia and the others, but for the moment mainly Cordelia.

Disclaimer: I wish . . . where's a wish demon when you want one? . . . Anya! . . . Anyanka!

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**Prologue: A surprise awakening!**

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**Las Angeles**

_**Buffy's viewpoint**

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_

Buffy crept unnoticed into the secure medical wing of the hospital with a practised ease. In the mostly white room the comatose brunette figure in the bed at the center of the room was also the most noticeable.

Buffy had visited Cordelia at least once a week since she had first found out what had happened to her in LA especially when she found out Cordy had gained visions from the Powers-That-Be, before the events caused her to her current position.

It was extremely dangerous for someone not born to be such a vessel to gain it so abruptly and for it to go from a demon to a human, well the was just alarming considering the fact that a normal human couldn't take as much stress as a demon. Not to mention that Doyle had struggled with the sight himself. Buffy still didn't know what Doyle had been thinking doing such a stupid dangerous thing.

Buffy, who had had the training to deal with her own seer gift at a young age had been shocked and concerned when she had learnt that Cordelia had gained the gift so unexpectedly and how she had gained it.

It was the fact that Cordelia had survived that had caused Buffy to investigate further. The slayer used her contacts with the American Ministry of Magic to research everything they could about Cordelia.

What she found was astonishing.

Shaking out of her memories, Buffy pulled a vial out of her carryall. She took the stopper out and let the small amount of liquid drip slowly into Cordy's mouth, then sat back to see if the phoenix tears would work.

The following morning just before dawn Buffy, having just finished the preparations for her departure, crept silently through the Hyperion careful not to alert Angel or the others of her activities.

She placed an envelope addressed to everyone on the coffee table in the lobby, before she picked up her packs, and gripped the medallion. Glancing at the clock she saw it was 5:29 am.

She took a deep breath.

One minute to go, one minute before she returned to the world that she had left eight years ago. A moment later Buffy felt a familiar tugging at her stomach and there was a quiet pop as she disappeared, baggage and all.

_**

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**_

Other's viewpoint

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Later that morning Angel and the others sat around the coffee table, stunned as Angel read the letter left behind for them by Buffy.

_**Dear Everyone,**_

_As you are all sleeping or doing other important things I had no wish to disturb or worry you, hence this letter._

_First I would just like to reassure you all that this not a suicide note and no I am not running away._

_For the last couple of months I've been feeling restless, as if there was something I needed to do. Last night I received word from an old acquaintance of mine that needs help urgently and as soon as I get to where I am going I'll ring ASAP to let you know I'm alright. Until then I have just a few things to tell you all._

_Giles, did I ever thank you for being there for me during some of the hardest times I my life. If not I'm sure I don't do it often enough so I'll say it now. Thank you. Thank you for being there for me and thank you for being more of a father to me then my own ever was. And if there was such a thing as a chosen Watcher then you would be it Watcher-mine._

_Dawn. You have grown to be such a strong, smart and beautiful young woman and I know that Mum would be proud of the woman you have become. I love you._

_Willow, Kennedy, look after each other and the newbie slayers etc. I love you Wills and Kennedy and if you do anything to hurt each other I'll kick both your arses._

_Xander, Anyanka, I have two things to say to you two. Firstly I know you are both going slowly but there is a thing as going too slow. You have both faced a lot of adversity in your relationship and you are still together after all of that, doesn't that tell you anything. I love you both._

_Faith, you and I have been through so much. I have to admit that when you first came to Sunnydale I was upset and treated you bad. I was still hurting over the death of Kendra and was afraid that you would die as early as she had. I was afraid to get close. So I'm sorry about the way that I first treated you and kept you at a distance. And you know, it is funny how Slaying makes a girl Hungry and Horny._

_Wes, I would also like to apologize to you about how I treated you when you first arrived. And despite what happened I have to say that you have turned into a great watcher. If I hadn't already had the job of training Giles I would definitely have been training you as my watcher._

_Fred, Gunn. I don't you both all that well but I have to say thank you for welcoming me into your lives. You are both very special people and I hope you realise that._

_Conner, give your old man a rest. And try not to brood so much or, as a certain bleached blonde would say, you would turn into the great pouf, the pouf being Angel. You are young and still have much to experience. I have just one question you have to answer for yourself. What gives you the right to judge anyone?_

_Angel, look after all of them for me will you. And please get a sense of humour. Doyle told me that you have one in there somewhere so let it out. Have some fun. Oh and so you don't go crazy wondering about how Doyle told me, I met him in heaven. He is a very nice guy. A bit strange though. He had somehow managed to start a weekly poker game and you would not believe the spirits that joined the group._

_Queen C. Cordelia. Doyle told me to tell you that after your ordeal is over to not punish yourself over it. Remember, you were chosen as a seer for the powers that be for a reason. You are a warrior for the light side. Just like a certain ancestor of yours. She too was seduced by the dark forces for a time before she returned to the light side. And she grew stronger for it. I believe you know the name from the TV series they made about her. She was known as Xena, Warrior Princess._

_I've left a box in my room that has certain things in it for all of you all. Dawn, Spikes old leather duster is now yours. It's hanging in my closet._

_I love you all._

_Buffy_

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_Another's viewpoint

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_

In the Hospital, Cordelia awoke with a start, sitting up abruptly and scaring the dickens out of the nurse who was doing her early morning rounds.


	2. Broken Memories

**Author Note: **Thank you to alexceaser, theprincessbride06, Village-Mystic, and marykaitlyn for their reviews.

I hope I can count on you all and anyone else interested in Angel the Series or Xena: Warrior Princess to please review and tell me what you think. I'd like to do well on this fic but it has been ages since I last saw an Angel or Xena episode and there is a lot of stuff I've either forgotten, gotten mixed up or even just found out while surfing the web.

**Chapter Summary: **This chappie has less of the Buffy and more of the Cordy. It's more like a second prologue for the fic.

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**Chapter 1: Broken Memories**

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_**Cordelia's viewpoint **_

_There was darkness, nothing but darkness. _

_That was all Cordelia could and had seen for an undetermined amount of time. _

_It was as if she was floating in some sort of void with nothing but her thoughts and memories for company. _

_The silence was almost deafening._

_She couldn't remember anything about how she ended up in this state._

_Her memories were fragmented. _

_She could only remember bits and pieces as if she was looking at the remains of a shattered mirror, her memories being the mirror._

_As soon as she thought that her surroundings changed and she found herself floating above a large frame which stood out starkly against the inky black backdrop, resting in the frame were a few glass fragments which reflected not her face but different portions of her sense of self. _

_Now it was looking like a puzzle, a puzzle missing most of its pieces._

_A memory that she realised was of her childhood, suddenly appeared. It was of her, as a little girl, playing with one of those puzzles with funny shaped parts and the special box that the bits always rested in to stop them getting lost._

_There was another shift in the scenery and a larger sized box that looked like a replica of her hold childhood one appeared next to the frame filled with numerous glass pieces._

_Cautiously she picked up a fragment and looking back down at the board Cordelia placed the sliver in next to one that was already in there. _

_There was a flash of fire between the fragments and they melded together as if they hadn't been separate just moments ago._

_She was immediately caught up remembering what that particular bit represented._

_It was a happy memory, the one of when she got a bouquet of her favourite flowers in primary school from a mysterious admirer._

_Excitedly she picked up another piece and added it to the mirror puzzle. There was another flash of fire._

_Once again she remembered something else, it was another childhood memory._

_Eagerly she continued to add more bits, concentrating mainly on her childhood. _

_She was extremely nervous about what her teenage and adult recollections would embody. She had a feeling that a lot of those memories would be nothing but bad._

_Sure enough, as she reached the memories of her high school she came upon the very first time she saw Buffy. _

_She was surprised when she remembered the very first thoughts she had of the slayer. _

_She had thought that Buffy was beautiful, and not in the admiring another female's looks way but more of the wanting to know what it would be like to kiss her way. _

_It wasn't the first time she had come across those thoughts for another female but she truly had forgotten, tried to wipe from her mind, the attraction she had first felt for the Slayer, especially after what had happened next._

_The memories seemed to actually jump into the box after that in an accelerated mode. _

_There had been the crush she had had on Angel._

_The adventures she had gone on with the Scoobies._

_The crush she had had on Xander when she had found out that he had been the one to give her that bouquet back in primary school. _

_Even more adventures._

_Finding Xander and Willow kissing and the heartbreaking sorrow that followed._

_Staying away from the Scoobies._

_Finding out that her parents were in trouble for tax evasion and having to actually find her self a job._

_Helping the slayer out again._

_Putting the dress she wanted on lay-by._

_The upset at not having enough money for the dress she wanted in time for the graduation dance._

_The delight at going into work one day only to find out that someone had paid of the rest of the lay-by for her._

_Feeling, surprisingly, no jealous of when Buffy receives the award for Class protector._

_The fight against the demon mayor._

_Moving to Las Angeles and pursuing her acting career._

_Finding Angel and meeting with Doyle._

_More adventures._

_Detective Kate Lockley._

_Charles Gunn._

_Wesley Wyndam-Price._

_Dennis._

_Lindsay McDonald._

_Spike. _

_Oz._

_Buffy._

_Faith._

_Lilah Morgan._

_Drusilla._

_Darla._

_Lorne._

_Winifred Burkle._

_Connor._

_Eve._

_Darkness._

_Oh Gods!_

_What did I do!_

_With only one piece left and wracked with guilt, Cordelia gripped that sliver so hard her it was biting into the palm of her hand. _

_She didn't deserve to awake out of this prison void, not after all of the pain and suffering she had caused._

_Oh Gods!_

_Tears fell freely down her face as she started choking on sobs of despair._

_Her hand jerked in a cramp causing her to drop that last sliver onto the mirror of her life, mixing with her tears._

_There was a gigantic burst of flames this time which caused Cordelia to startle and the mirror to disappear only to reappear moments later with a large red and gold bird which looked as it was afire. It was crooning a soothing melody. _

In the Hospital, Cordelia awoke with a start, sitting up abruptly and scaring the dickens out of the nurse who was doing her early morning rounds.

* * *

_**Dawn's - Point of View**_

_**Angel's Hotel**_

The combined group of the Angel Investigations group and the remaining Scoobies sat in the foyer, after having read Buffy's goodbye letter, stunned for a moment.

And then they all seemed to talk all at once.

Wondering why Buffy had left.

The Scoobies blamed themselves for driving Buffy away. They had all noticed that after the closing of the Sunnydale Hellmouth, how Buffy had kept her distance from them, never giving them her concrete trust again.

Dawn alone was unsurprised by Buffy's sudden departure. She had noticed how restless her older sister had been and new she would jump at the chance to get away from everything, at least for a little while.

Especially after Spikes second death.

The bottle blonde Vampire had become just as bad as Buffy in that coming back to life to save the world stuff.

The phone rang in the office and Dawn being one of the closest and calmest got up to answer it.

"Angel Investigations, Dawn speaking."

"Good morning this is the Hospital long term residence ward, can I speak to a Mr Angel O'Rielly, it's in regards of one of our patients a Miss Cordelia Chase".

Dawn had a good calling about this call, 'Can you please hold on a moment, I'll just get him."

She gently placed the receiver down then hurriedly moved back to the foyer and everyone looked up noticing her agitated excitement.

"Angel it's the Hospital, it's about Cordelia." Before she had even finished speaking Angel rushed into the office followed closely by the rest of the old AI gang.

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I hope to have the next chapter done within the next 2 weeks, fingers crossed! 


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